


a night to remember

by sureimiku



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Sleepovers, protect elle 2k20, she deserves only happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:53:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26290684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sureimiku/pseuds/sureimiku
Summary: Elle isn't exactly sure how sleepovers are supposed to work.{day 4 of xillia week; sharilton/friendship}
Relationships: Driselle Sharil & Elle Mel Marta, Elize Lutus & Elle Mel Marta
Comments: 10
Kudos: 11
Collections: Tales of Xillia Week





	a night to remember

—and then, you tie it around at the end until it’s tight enough.” Elize firmly tied a thin piece of pink yarn around the smaller girl’s wrist until it fit perfectly. 

“Oh!” Elle marveled at the trinket on her arm; tiny heart beads were strung on, along with stars, and the letters of her name spelled out. “It’s so pretty!” She twisted her wrist back and forth, admiring every angle of the bracelet. “Thanks, Elize.” 

Elize softly smiled and began to clean up the remnants of the bracelet making project. They were staying over at Driselle’s manor; Ludger had some jobs to take care of here, nothing too risky or dangerous. Elize just thought it would be nice to bring Elle to the manor, just the two of them. Being out on the battlefield and hiding all the time didn't always bode well.

“How is bracelet making going?” Driselle entered the bedroom, smiling warmly at the duo. She was kind enough to lend them the room for the time being; she even said they could stay the night if they wanted. How kind was that! Elle couldn’t believe Jude had such generous friends. “Oh, that’s so cute! I’m glad you guys were able to make use of it… that thing sat in the closet for years.” 

When they first arrived at the manor, Elle’s eyes practically widened upon seeing the size of the place. A grand staircase led to the second floor, doors lined up to the right and to the left, and expensive looking flowers she didn’t know the name of were placed all over. 

It would be nice to stay over for the night, Elle thought as she helped clean up the beads on the floor.  
  


* * *

“Elle? Can you come downstairs for me?” Driselle called from the living room in a panicked sounding voice. The young girl hurried downstairs in an instant, her pigtails bouncing carelessly against her back. “What happened? Where’s Ludger and the others?”

Driselle sighed. “Well, apparently they got caught up in the rainstorm we had earlier, and… they’re stuck in the forest. A huge tree fell over and blocked their path.” She reached for her antique teacup, taking a sip before continuing. “It’s almost night time, so they could be stuck there for a while.” Elle inhaled sharply. Monsters were known to predate around the forest when the sky sat still, enshrouded in complete darkness. 

“We need to help them! I’ll get my backpack!” Ludger had traveled to the forest with Jude, Leia, and Alvin to pick up smokeshroom spores for a job request. Elle felt bad for them. How would they be able to see later at night? Maybe she could bring her flashlight to help? 

A hand placed on her shoulder stopped her from making a mad dash back up the stairs. “Knowing how they are, I think they’ll be fine. They have their GHS in case things get hectic, and I’ve sent a few soldiers to assist them.” Wow. Driselle was a clever person underneath her kind and pretty nature. “You do know what this means though, right?” A playful grin had taken to her face, “You can stay over with us and sleep over!” 

Elle’s worry disappeared at the sound of a sleepover; it was her first time ever experiencing one. Spending most of your years at home without contact with anyone except your parents didn’t exactly allow for such things. “Ooh, um… what do we do at sleepovers?” The young girl tilted her head in confusion. The only thing she knew was that people dressed in comfy pajamas and slippers of all sorts, staying up until past midnight. It wasn’t like she was able to stay awake that long anyway. 

“Well, there’s a lot of things we can do. We can paint nails, share stories, and pillow fights... How about you choose what we do today? I’ll go get us some treats and tea prepared.” Turquoise colored eyes lit up, and Elle finally deemed it proper to run up the stairs now. She had to let Elize know they were sleeping over! And...that the others got stuck behind a huge tree. 

“We’re staying over?” Elize asked, confused by the sudden change of plans. Originally the party was supposed to leave Sharilton and head back for Elympios the next day. Was the port closed or something? Had someone gotten injured in the forest? 

After Elle filled her in on the details, the older girl sighed in relief. Thank Maxwell no one was hurt. “This is your first sleepover, isn’t it Elle?” She asked as she unpacked her bag of belongings. “I know just the thing to make it perfect.” Out came a pink hairbrush, decorated with tiny sparkles. “Hair makeover! But once you get out of the bath.” 

“Okay, I’ll make it quick!” Elle sprinted out of the room with sheer excitement. A bath would do good to freshen her up, and then a hair makeover and treats would be waiting for her when she got out. She could hardly wait, her small legs carrying her as fast as she could down the stairs. When her feet hit the last step though, she halted. 

_ Wait, where was the bathroom?  _

* * *

“...And then, Alvin let me draw him for the parent-child event. Though, my drawing wasn’t as good as the others.” Elize brushed Elle’s hair until it shone against the light, free of any tangles or knots. “It was funny, though. Everyone kept giving him weird looks.” 

Driselle chuckled at Elize’s story. They were taking turns sharing stories of all sorts, whether it was funny or heartwarming. A tray of cookies, fruits, and all sorts of sweets sat on the ebony table in front of them, accompanied by floral tea brewed in Driselle’s favorite tea set. “Well, anyone would be surprised if a mercenary suddenly showed up claiming to be your father.” Elize recalled the scene perfectly; being carried on his shoulders, the other kids staring and whispering things amongst each other along the lines of  _ who are they _ and  _ they’re not from around here. _

Elle stopped kicking her legs back and forth. “He was a mercenary?” She knew she was a fruit businessman, sure, but him fighting for a living? Something about that was hard to imagine after seeing him promote his goods in a nonchalant fashion. Well, mercenaries  _ were _ independent. Elle could see the connection there. 

“Yes, until a few months ago, actually. He said fighting for gald wasn’t his thing anymore and set off to the business world of Elympios.” She wrapped two hair ties around her ponytails; much like her original style, but the ponytails hung lower. “Alvin’s...trying to be a better person. I think him meeting you and Ludger helped him set him back on track.” 

Elle reached for a chocolate cookie and thought in silence. Alvin was a humorous and carefree person for sure, and she enjoyed his acts of kindness; picking up trinkets for her at the store, letting her pick which fruit was the best to sell. Based on what Elize had said, he was carrying a burden of some sort, probably when he was still a mercenary. But the only Alvin she knew was the one she spoke to every day, the easygoing man who loved to talk about the business aspects of Elympios. 

His past still intrigued her, though. Maybe she could ask him about it someday? 

“So I have to share a story now, right?” Elle finished her raspberry cookie, picking up any crumbs that had fallen on the couch. “Do you guys want to hear about the Ludger-swingset incident or the time Rollo ran away on the train?”

“What in the world is the first one about?” Driselle’s brows furrowed, trying to figure out how the words “swing set” and “incident” correlated with each other, and on top of that,  _ Ludger?  _ “Why don’t you tell us that one then?” Elize nodded, hugging a plush pillow to her chest. 

“Okay. So you see…” 

The night was full of laughter and stories, with sweets refills in between. It was probably the most fun Elle had ever had, at least for an eight year old. Talking so much wore her out and before she knew it, she’d fallen asleep on the sofa. Elize whispered if she should take the girl upstairs, but Driselle shook her head; she could just bring her a blanket and pillow to stay down here. The perks of being in such a divine manor were every corner of it being comfortable, and so enough that Elle was able to sleep sitting up. 

When she woke the next day she was still seated on the couch, her knees curled up to her chest. She was leaning a little and a blanket was draped carefully over her. It looked like dawn was creeping up outside, the sky shining a purple and orange color through the windows. A peaceful morning, one where she woke up fully rested for once and feeling happy from last night. 

The sound of the front door creaking open broke her from her state of sleepiness. Was someone trying to break in while everyone was asleep? No, there’s no way that could happen. There were supposed to be guards stationed at the front. Panic started to really settle in when she couldn’t make sense of who was coming in, the sunlight making it impossible to see. 

“Someone’s breaking in!” Elle yelled as loudly as she could, hoping someone would charge in the next few seconds. She hid behind the couch just in case. 

“It’s just me, Elle!” The ‘culprit’ raised their hands up, stepping forward so the light wouldn’t block her view completely. Ludger had returned with his other companions safe and sound, except he had a scratch or two on his face, and dirt colored stains covered all four of their clothes. 

The head of the manor rushed downstairs, grateful to see her friends okay. “You guys made it back safely! A guard informed me you were staying at the inn until morning came, but...Maxwell, what in the  _ world  _ happened to you guys?” Driselle cupped her face with her right hand, taking in the sight of the quartet’s messy clothes and hair. 

“Yeah, uh...  _ Long _ story.” Ludger looked so tired, in fact the other three behind him looked equally worn out. Elle was almost curious to know how long this story was going to be. 

“Well, you can tell us all about it once you get cleaned up. I’ll make sure some refreshments are put up too.” 

The man shook his head, frowning slightly. “We really should get going, though. We were supposed to be on the ship back to Elympios by now.” Spirius had called him to take on an important job right as they reached Sharilton, and he knew it wouldn’t be good if he kept them waiting for long. 

Jude intervened with their conversation. “I think I heard that any ships heading out are delayed for a few days… the storm was so bad that the ship suffered a little damage.” He intertwined his hands behind his back, hoping this would persuade Ludger to reconsider. After all, he  _ had _ been a client of Driselle’s hospitality before, and in his current state… he certainly wouldn’t mind it right now. 

“Oh, that means the sleepover is extended!” Elle jumped up from the couch and dashed upstairs to wake Elize. She couldn’t wait to tell her that another night of fun was in store and that the others were okay. 

Well, okay in the sense that they made it back in one piece. Their appearances spoke otherwise. 

“We can stay an extra day, right?” The young girl yelled from the upper floor before knocking on Elize’s door. She was probably awake by now, as early as when she shouted for security downstairs. 

“Come on, it’s only a day. My cap is still soaked!” Leia removed the hat off her head to show them how damp it still felt. Alvin backed up the complaining news reporter, saying that “it wasn’t good for a businessman to look like this in public”. He wasn’t even on business travel though. 

Ludger looked at Elle upstairs, then at the others, and then Elle again. It looked like one against five wasn’t going to work. He sighed in defeat and gave into Elle’s demands. “...I suppose we can stay one more day.” 


End file.
